Page:Archæologia Americana—volume 2, 1836.djvu/277

 APP. NO. I.] GRAMMATICAL NOTICES. CHEROKEE. 241 When the noun is in the plural, (houses, hearts,) this is formed by the addition of the usual prefixes placed before the pronoun. EXTRACTED FROM MR. PICKERING'S ESSAY. The same distinctions of dual and plural are found in the conjugations of verbs, distinguishing in like manner in the personal pronouns we, whether it means thou (or you) and i, or he (or they) and I ; and in the pronoun of the third person, whether he is, or they are absent or present. (See the Essay.) Many other peculiarities are also noticed in the same paper. The plural prefixes are affixed to the verb, when the object of the action is in the plural. Moods, in the general sense of any modification in the action, are numerous, such as, ' I do habitually/ '1 am at liberty to do,' &c, expressed by varied inflections. In the same way the action is distinguished if done collectively or distributively, ' he is tying thee and me to- gether,' tikinaluniha ; c he is tying thee and me, but each separately,' tetikinalun-iha, he. ANSWERS TO GRAMMATICAL QUERIES BY REV. S. A. WORCESTER, MISSIONARY TO THE CHEROKEES. 1. Are nouns, whether substantive or adjective, indeclinable ? Ans. All adjectives and many substantives are declined. Many substantives are indeclinable. 2. Do the varied inflections apply to number, gender, tense, or case ? Ans. The inflections of substantives apply to number and person ; of adjectives to number and person, and sometimes to tense. Examples. Tsi-ska-ya, / (am) a man. Hi-ska-ya, thou a man. A-ska-ya, a man. I-ni-ska-ya, thou and I men. Aw-sti-ska-ya, he and I men. I-sti-ska-ya, ye two men. I-ti-ska-ya, ye and I men. Aw-tsi-ska-ya, they and I men. I-tsi-ska-ya, ye men. Ani-ska-ya, men. VOL. II. 31 Kaw-si-yu, I (am) good. Haw-si-yu, thou good. Aw-si-yu, he, she, or it good. I-naw-si-yu, thou and I good. Av-staw-si-yu, he and I good. I-staw-si-yu, ye two good. A-taw-si yu, ye and 1 good. Avv-tsaw-si-yu, they and I good. I-tsaw-si-yu, ye good. A-naw-si-yu, ) .,, Tsaw-si-yu, they good.